Coming to Windows: Serif’s Affinity Photo beta to end the Mac exclusive

A year ago, British software developer Serif -- then best known to photographers for its consumer-oriented Windows app PhotoPlus -- took its first step onto Apple's Mac platform with the launch of Affinity Photo. Initially released as a beta, Affinity Photo offered a potential lifeline to Mac users who'd found themselves stranded by Apple's decision to cease development of Aperture, and Adobe's choice to turn its Creative Cloud apps including Photoshop into a subscription-only product. And in a first for Serif, there was no Windows equivalent, giving Mac owners an exclusive on the new app.

A year later, that exclusive comes to its end with Serif's announcement of a similar Affinity Photo beta on the Windows platform. That's great news, because the Mac version has been very well received indeed, receiving an award from Apple last December naming it as the App of the Year for 2015. According to Serif, it has also regularly been listed in the top 10 apps on the Mac App Store. Its rating from users currently sits at 4.5 stars.

Now in development on the Windows platform, Affinity Photo launched for Mac OS X last year.

Not surprisingly, Serif notes that it has continued to receive requests from users for a Windows version ever since Affinity Photo's Mac debut, and now we know that it's happening. The public beta hasn't begun just yet, although you can request early access once the beta does launch, something which is expected to happen early this summer.

And the best news of all for those of us who prefer to avoid ongoing subscriptions for our software? Just as on Apple's platform, Microsoft Windows users will find themselves free of the need to pay for Affinity Photo on an ongoing basis. Pricing has been set at around US$50, the exact same point at which the Mac version currently sells.

Serif's Affinity Photo offers equivalents to many of the tools provided by Adobe Photoshop, as you can see in this promotional video for the Mac version.

Want to get in on the beta? Hop on over to Serif's website now, and put your name in the hat to be among the first to give Affinity Photo for Windows a spin! You're only a matter of weeks away from getting your hands on the software you've been asking for. (And if you're an all-around creative type, you'll be pleased to hear that Affinity Designer is also going to be making the leap to Windows.)